Ballad details NICU plans

Ballad Health has once again responded to a series of questions posed by the Tennessee Department of Health regarding the hospital system’s proposed changes for the neonatal intensive care unit.

The 23-page response includes a myriad of statistics, requested by former Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, as well as details about how downgrading Holston Valley Medical Center’s NICU from a Level III to a Level I nursery will impact newborns and mothers in the region.

Under the plan, newborns requiring Level III NICU services will be transported to Niswonger Children’s Hospital in Johnson City. Ballad has estimated that roughly 100 babies per year, who would have previously received care at Holston Valley, will be transported to Niswonger Children’s Hospital under the proposal.

One specific detail the state requested in its latest line of questioning is how Ballad plans to track the travel distance of affected families.